An increasing number of single women are constituting a bigger share of homeowners than single men across the country, including in California, a recent survey has found.
At a time when the housing market faces pressures such as affordability and rising mortgage rates, more single women are investing in their own homes, a trend that is influencing demand patterns and long-term ownership trends, according to a recent study by the National Association of Realtors.
As California too continues to struggle with limited supply and high prices, this shift in homeownership is evolving the state’s real estate market.
The study defines single women as those who are divorced, separated, or never married. In the past 10 years, homeownership in all these categories has increased, suggesting that more women are foraying into the housing market.
Homeownership among divorced women jumped from 55% to 60%, and from 33% to 39% among separated women. In the never-married category, rates increased from 30% to 34%. Although the homeownership rate among widowed women remained steady at 73%, it reflects that these women are maintaining long-term stability in the housing sector.
Nationwide, roughly 51% of single women own homes compared to less than 50% of single men, according to the study. This translates to over 20 million single women homeowners compared to 14 million single men.
Single Women Homeownership in California
California stands out as one of the states where single women are more likely to own a home than single men across metro areas, according to the study.
Although homeownership among single women slipped by over 2% from 2014 to 2024 in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara market, women consistently owned more homes than their male counterparts. Homeownership rates among single women were 41.7% in 2024 compared to 34.3% among single men.
In the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles metro area, homeownership among single women was 48.2% in 2024 compared to 43.2% among their male counterparts. Homeownership among single women grew 2.7% from 2014.
A total of 53.5% of single women owned homes in the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura market in 2024, compared to 47.4% of single men.
In a sign of women making confident strides in the real estate market, single women are more likely to own homes in some of the most expensive housing markets nationwide, including San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
California also featured as one of the markets that saw the fastest jumps in homeownership among single women. Stockton experienced one of the biggest gains in homeownership among women, along with other markets such as Palm Bay and Cape Coral in Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Mobile, Alabama; and Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Nationwide Trends
Across the country, single women have a higher homeownership rate in 57% of metro areas than their male counterparts.
Across most of the country, single women are gradually becoming a bigger and more stable part of the homeowner base.
Although single men tend to become homeowners at a younger age, over time the gap slims, even going on to reverse in some cases, according to the study.
Moreover, homeownership rates among women under 35 years have surged over the past decade, with homeownership becoming more common in older ages. Around 70% of women aged 65 and above own homes. This means that even if women enter the housing market later, they last longer.
According to the study, although single women earn less than men and are more financially stretched, they are less likely to have a mortgage. Around 51% of single women homeowners have a mortgage compared to 54% of single men.
This highlights that many women have owned their homes longer and have paid down more of their debt, resulting in greater housing equity.
This seems like a natural outcome of the decades-long trend of women graduating college at a higher rate than men, and of womens’ generally increasing -but slower- economic freedom. The gender pay gap still exists, sexism still exists, and we all can see that misogyny is still rampant, with flagrant examples coming from our current White House occupant and subtler examples baked in to culture at large. But still women persist, and I hope they don’t fall into the trap of forgetting history and thinking progress only started recently. It’s been a long road and it ain’t over.
Seems Jerry Reeds early 80’s song was correct. She got the gold mine I got the shaft.
When you’re uneducated, as you seem to be, that’s not an unusual outcome.
Tell us another story, grampa.
misogynist trash
“single women earn less than men and are more financially stretched”